Thus did St Peter, after he had bronght them to ' Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved ? ' Acts ii. 87, 38 ; then he points them out to Jesus Christ. Therefore the ministr}' is called ' the ministry of recon- ciHation,' 2 Cor. v. 18, and the ' ministry of peace,' Eph. ii. 17 ; they 'are called ' messengers of peace.' You know jo}^ comes from reconciliation with God in Christ, joy comes from peace. Now the ministers they are messengers of reconciliation, and messengers of peace, and therefore mes- sengers of joy, ' They bring glad tidings of joy,' Luke i. 19. You see how ministers are helpers of joy, by shewing to man his ill, and then by shewing to man his good, and comfort in Jesus Christ ; they shew, that ' where sin hath abounded, grace abounds much more,' Rom. v. 20. They dig the mine, to let people see what riches, what treasm'e they have in the word of God, and what comfort they have there.
8. And then in the continual course of life, they are ' helpers of joy.' For what do ministers, if they be faithful in their places, but advise in cases of conscience ivhat people should do ? so their office is to remove all scruples, and hindrances, and obstacles of spiritual joy, by advising them what to avoid, and what to do {'pppp)-
We know that lirjht is a state of joy. The ministry of the gospel is light. It sets up the light of God's truth. It shews them the way they should go in all the course of their life ; and thereupon it rejoiceth them. The word of God is a lanthorn, especially in the ministry.
Spiritual libert)/, and freedom, that doth make people joyful. But the end of the ministry is to set people more and more at liberty ; both from the former estate that I named, and likewise daily by office, to set them at liberty from corruptions, and temptations, and snares ; to bring them to an enlarged estate.
Victory, and triumph is a state of joy. Now the ministers of God teach God's people, how to fight God's battles, how to handle their weapons, how to answer temptations, how to conquer all, and at length how to triumph. Therefore in that regard they are helpers of their joy. They encourage them against discouragements, against infirmities and afflictions, against Satan's temptations, shewing them grounds of joy out of the Scriptures.
4. Then they are ' helpers of their joy,' hjforcinf/ it as a duty upon them, ' Rejoice evermore, and again I say, rejoice,' saith St Paul, Philip, iv. 4. They are as guides among the rest of the travellers, that encourage them in the way to heaven, ' Come on,' let us go cheerfully. As the apostles in aU their epistles, they stir up to joy and cheerfulness ; so should those do that are guides to God's people. Travellers they need refreshments of wine, &c. Now thus the ministers of God help the people of God in their spiritual travel to heaven. If the people of God faint at any time, then as it is, Cant. ii. 5, they refresh them with ' apples and wine,' with the comforts of the Holy Ghost. They are ready to support and comfort them in all their spiritual falls, when they are ready to sink.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VEE. 24. 511
We see by experience in all places where the ministr}' of the word is established, how comfortably people live, and die, and end their days above other people ' that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death,' Mat. iv. 16, So we see this is true, that the ministers help joy, because they help that that breeds joy, not only at the first, but continually help the joy of the people of God, even to death.
5. And then in death itself, the end of the ministry is to help joy, to help them to heaven, to help them to a joyful departure hence, to give them a good and comfortable loose * out of this world, drawing comfort out of the word for this purpose ; for whatsoever the minister doth, it is by drawing comfort out of the word, shewing them that the sting of death is taken away, that now death is reconciled, and become a friend to us in Christ ; that it is but a passage to heaven, that now it is the end of all misery, and the beginning of all happiness, ' Blessed are those that die in the Lord,' Rev. xiv. 13. So they assist, and help them in those last agonies.
There is special use of the dispensation of the word in all conditions while we live, and at the hour of death. You see it is clear, I need not further enlarge the point, that the ministers by reason of the word, which indeed is the main thing that comforts, they are helpers of the joy of God's people.
Ohj. But you will say, They help God's people to sorrow, and they vex and trouble them ofttimes.
Ans. Indeed, carnal men think so, as the two witnesses in the Revela- tions, it is said, ' They vexed the men upon the earth,' Rev. xi. 10. So indeed, the faithful witnesses of God, they vex the earthly-minded, base men ; as Ahab said of Elias, ' Thou art he that troubleth Israel,' 1 Kings xviii. 17. He accounted him as one that troubled Israel, when it was himself that troubled Israel. These ministers, they are accounted those that mar all the mirth in the world ; that a man that is given to pleasures and dehghts, he trembles at the sight of them, as men opposite to his de- lights and carnal course : he cannot brook the very sight of them ; so it is with a carnal man.